Category Archives: Windows Phone

Rockstar Games on Tuesday announced that a mobile port of its classic Graft Theft Auto: San Andreas game will be released for compatible iOS, Android, Windows Phone and Amazon Kindle devices in December. Additional details will be provided in the weeks ahead.

Encompassing Los Santos, San Fierro, Las Venturas and everything in between, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has been upgraded for its mobile release. Newly remastered graphics including dynamic and detailed shadows, greater draw distance, an enriched color palette, plus enhanced character and car models make this the best-looking version of San Andreas yet.

Microsoft announced on Tuesday that it has entered into a $7.2 billion transaction with Nokia to acquire all of its devices and services business, including the Lumia smartphone lineup and mid-range Asha brand. Microsoft has also agreed to a ten-year license of Nokia’s patent portfolio, and a four-year license of Nokia’s mapping services.

This is a substantial move for Microsoft, which gains the consolidated hardware and software experience that competitors like Apple have long benefitted from. Moreover, it means that we’ll no longer be seeing a Nokia-branded smartphone on store shelves for at least the next three years, as the Finnish handset maker is restricted to using the moniker on feature phones only. (more…)

Samsung has issued an invite to members of the press for a media event called “Samsung Premiere 2013″ on June 20th, likely to launch new devices for its Android and Windows Phone lineups. The event will focus on Galaxy and Ativ devices, which is the South Korean handset maker’s branding for its Android-based and Windows-based smartphones respectively.

The event will take place at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London, with doors opening at 6:00 PM local time ahead of a 7:00 PM start. A live stream of the event will be made available online via the YouTube channel for Samsung Mobile. What do you think Samsung will announce at the event?

Nokia is planning to launch a new Lumia smartphone equipped with a 41-megapixel camera, first rumored a few months ago, in just a matter of weeks from now. MobileGeeks has learned that the handset — codenamed EOS — will launch in the second week of July, likely on or around July 9th. The device will reportedly have a polycarbonate enclosure and 4.5-inch 720p display, similar to the flagship Lumia 920.

If your mouth is already watering over the 41-megapixel camera, it’s important to remember that megapixels don’t always matter. The problem with smartphone cameras is that, by nature of their design, they are not equipped with larger sensors or high-quality lenses like a traditional point-and-shoot or DSLR camera. In a nutshell, this results in discoloration, noise and other issues that can contribute to subpar photos.

Windows Phone is now the third-largest mobile platform worldwide, gaining more than triple its market share year-over-year and leapfrogging the recovering BlackBerry in the midst.

According to the latest numbers from IDC, a leading market research firm, 7 million Windows Phone units were shipped in the first quarter for 3.2 percent market share. BlackBerry moved 6.3 million units, but dropped to 2.9 percent market share. (more…)

The last thing that Nokia chief executive Stephen Elop wanted to see during his interview on a Finnish TV show, promoting the new Lumia 620, was an iPhone. But, after Elop refused to comment on speculation surrounding the purported Lumia 928, the interviewer pulled out his Apple smartphone in a rather humorous revelation. “I have an iPhone,” said the presenter. “I don’t want to have an iPhone. I want to have a Nokia phone.”

“Oh, how embarrassing,” quivered Elop, who was clearly caught off guard. “I can take care of that for you, right here.” In a nervous gesture, Elop actually grabbed the iPhone out of the presenter’s hands and tossed it across the floor. “There, it’s gone.” Surprisingly, the interviewer did not seem overwhelmingly shocked at the situation that had just unfolded before his eyes, instead further pressuring Elop to comment on the Lumia 928.

While it might have been a nerve-wracking moment for Elop, this video has certainly helped bring attention — be it positive or negative — to Nokia and its Windows Phone lineup. Plus, the presenter was being overly aggressive about the Lumia 928 anyways, so he practically deserved for this to happen. “Throwing an iPhone like a boss… wait… he’s already a boss,” one top comment on YouTube reads.

In a rather peculiar marketing move, per usual, Microsoft has decided to attack the Galaxy S III in a new TV advertisement. The spot features a Microsoft representative that convinces two customers, who the company ensures are not paid actors, that they’ll like the Nokia Lumia 920 better than the Samsung Galaxy S III.

In fact, he offers the couple $100 if they still like their Galaxy S III better. But after having just one photo taken of them with the Lumia 920, and realizing that the camera is superior, the couple is sold. They make the switch to the Lumia 920. I’d have taken the $100 cash and used it to upgrade to the Galaxy S4. But that’s just me.

Android and iOS continue to dominate the mobile space, controlling up to 92 percent of operating system market share, but Nokia CEO Steven Elop believes that Windows Phone could eventually top both platforms. He shared those thoughts with Bloomberg in a recent interview at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona:

“The first thing to recognize is that we selected Windows Phone as our platform so that it would be a key point in differentiation. So while there are many vendors doing many things with Android, and it’s hard to tell a lot of that apart, we stand on our own in terms of what we’re doing with Windows Phone. [...] It can be the biggest operating system in the world. We have a lot of work to do jointly with Microsof to make that happen.”

The Surface Pro inches closer to its release next weekend on February 7 and enthusiasm is high in cyberspace. Many are waiting for the Surface Pro for its “non-compromising” vapor-mag metalwork, but many will also be in for a memory shock. Surface RT didn’t fare too well during the holiday sales and Microsoft is hoping for a better second round.

As important as the Surface Pro is, it wasn’t the only headline. This week, Microsoft released their brand new Office 2013 suite to the public, worked out some problems with Google, and finally delivered on broken promises to early Windows Phone 7 adopters. Lets go through all the news item for the week of January 28 – February 3.

After a quiet week, probably due to the CES hangover, Microsoft is back in full force. Top stories for this week includes a Microsoft bailout for Dell, record $21.5 billion Q2 revenue, and an official date for the imminent launch of the Surface Pro. Here are the summaries for the week of January 21st-27th: (more…)